Panthers Vs Kraken: Puck Drop Set for 8 p.m. ET in Seattle as Florida Tries to Extend Streak
panthers vs kraken is set for Sunday, March 15 at 8 p. m. ET at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, with the game scheduled to stream on +. The Florida Panthers enter at 33-29-3 and are trying to stretch their win streak to four games as they open a four-game road trip. The Seattle Kraken come in at 30-26-9 after a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks less than 24 hours earlier on Saturday.
How to watch Panthers Vs Kraken tonight
The matchup begins at 8 p. m. ET at Climate Pledge Arena. The broadcast is slated for +. In the league standings snapshot provided ahead of the game, Florida ranks 13th in the Eastern Conference and Seattle sits ninth in the Western Conference.
Road-trip opener: Florida lineup questions, key returns, and a missing top scorer
Florida arrives in Seattle dealing with immediate lineup uncertainty and a significant absence. The Panthers will play without leading scorer Sam Reinhart, who remains in South Florida with an undisclosed injury. Forward Sam Bennett, listed day-to-day, traveled with the team but might not suit up.
There is also encouraging news for Florida’s depth: Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe are expected to return to action after missing the previous game due to injuries. If Florida keeps the lines from Saturday’s pre-trip practice, one featured trio in Seattle would be Lundell between Eetu Luostarinen and Matthew Tkachuk. Head coach Paul Maurice noted the chemistry and flexibility around that group, saying: “We’ve had a different player there almost every year, and in each year, two or three times a different player, and they’ve all gone in and played well. ”
Florida’s most recent outing was a 2-1 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Panthers trailed 1-0 before Bennett tied it early in the second period on the power play to force overtime. On the power play in the extra frame, Reinhart scored the game-winning goal, with defenseman Mike Benning earning a secondary assist in his NHL debut. “Learn from it, grow from it, and be better from it, ” Benning, 24, said afterward. “Hopefully I can keep it rolling and just playing good hockey. ”
Seattle’s quick turnaround and Saturday’s surge
Seattle’s form comes with a tight turnaround. The Kraken are on the second half of a back-to-back that began north of the border, and they handled Vancouver 5-2 at Rogers Arena less than 24 hours earlier on Saturday.
In that win, Bobby McMann, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the trade deadline, earned first-star honors with two goals. Matty Beniers posted a three-point night (1 goal, 2 assists), and Jordan Eberle also recorded three assists.
Immediate reactions and what to watch at puck drop
Florida’s room framed the moment as a test of resilience. “Everybody’s dealing with something, ” Maurice said as the Panthers navigate injuries and availability decisions. Bennett, who scored in the most recent win but may not play Sunday, credited Florida’s goaltending push, saying of Sergei Bobrovsky: “He was really the spark all game. ”
Bobrovsky’s recent performance is central to Florida’s short-term momentum: in the win over Columbus, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped 30 of 31 shots, including 11 high-danger saves. However, Florida’s starting goaltender for Sunday will not be known until Maurice addresses the media closer to puck drop.
What’s next after panthers vs kraken
Once panthers vs kraken gets underway at 8 p. m. ET, Florida’s immediate focus is extending the streak while managing injuries at the start of a four-game road trip, and Seattle’s is sustaining its Saturday-night offensive jump on a back-to-back. The next concrete update expected before the opening faceoff is Maurice’s pregame media availability closer to puck drop, when Florida’s starting goaltender and final lineup decisions should come into clearer view.
